AOL's mistaken release of data on 20 million searches was not only a huge privacy concern, but also a rare peek behind the scenes of a major search engine. So much of SEO is based on rumor and superstition that actual data is like tripping across a treasure trove. No wonder the SEO community was so quick to dive in and unearth insights from all those AOL searches.

To be successful, you have to get on the first page of search results, which generates 91% of the clicks. The second page drops down to under 5%.

And, on the first page, there's a bit of a winner-take-all mentality: the first ranking gets 42% of the clicks, dropping to 12% for the second ranking.

We always knew that getting on the first page of search results was crucial — but the AOL data provides real-life confirmation of exactly how important.

So, what can we learn from this? You're better off focusing on less competitive keywords for SEO where you can get on the first page of search results and potentially attain the #1 ranking. Even though there might be less searches for that keyword, you'll actually get more traffic to your website. Instead of "your city spa", it's wiser to focus on search keywords in your speciality, like "your city sports massage".

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